


I'll act like a person, if you let me.

by Blank_Is_typing



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Abuse, Anger, Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Child Abandonment, Discrimination, Dog hybrid Seungmin, Fox Hybrid I.N, Heavy Angst, Human Changbin, Human Hyunjin, Human Jisung, Hybrids, Implied/Referenced Prostitution, Lynx Hybrid Minho, Protective Chan, Sexual Assault, Wolf Hybrid Chan, cat hybrid felix, human woojin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-06-29 10:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19828282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blank_Is_typing/pseuds/Blank_Is_typing
Summary: Hybrids are seen more like pets than people, only useful until they're not needed, but just like pets, some are more domesticated than others. And those others refuse to be anyone's pets. What they don't know is that they just want to be seen as equal, but, humans refuse to listen to reason, fear overpowering compassion.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I reallllllly hate smut, but Hybrid Au's interest me so I thought I'd write my own.
> 
> A little information that will come up:  
> class one- Hybrids that are crossed with difficult to domesticate animals/ undomesticated animals (wolves, bears, tiger, lions)  
> Class two- Easier to domesticate Hybrids but are still crossed with wild animals,(foxes,lynxes,"exotic" pets)  
> Class three- Hybrids crossed with animals bred for domestication,(common dogs, house cats, certain breeds of rodent"Pets")

Chan absolutely hated humans. He'd only interacted with them a few times, and he avoided it as much as possible.

His hatred of humans stemmed from years of bulling, and discrimination. People glared at him as he walked down the street. Some tried to catch and tame him, but he refused to listen. Chan wasn't like most of the hybids Humans were used to, he was what they would call a 'class one' hybrid. Meaning that he wasn't crossed with an animal that came from years of domestication. While most Hybrids were considered pets, the ones like him were considered wild animals. People feared them, tried to kill them. Heck, if they were rich enough, tried to buy them into submission, Flaunting them as even more exotic as the other humans held captive around them. 

But that hatred reached it's peak when he found the first member of his "pack." Seungmin had run into the woods, right past Chan's small cabin. He had sensed the fear ages before the boy passed and immediately caught up to him. "Are you okay?" he asked once he had caught up to the boy. 

"Don't-Don't hit me," he said, hiding his face. That's when Chan noticed the bruising around his arms and neck, there was probably even more not visible. Chan noticed a red spot on his leg and his instincts kicked into over drive.

"Come with me, I promise, no one is ever going to hurt you again." He didn't really give the boy a choice, picking him up and taking him back to his home. 

Seungmin looked at Chan with wide eyes, no one had taken him in so easily, that's when he noticed the ears and unfamiliar looking tail. He squinted a little in his shock filled, and, lets be honest, dizzy state. That's when the details like yellowish eyes, and longer canines stuck out to him. Suddenly it all made sense "Y-You're a class one?"

Chan Visibly winced at being called that, it made it seem like he was superior,"I'm Chan, and I'm a wolf hybrid. I can clearly tell you're a class three, but I'd rather know your name." He said as he sat the boy down on a chair and went to get first aid supplies.

The collie hybrid stuttered for a second,"I-I'm Se-Seungmin."

"Well, Seungmin, do you mind telling me what happened here?" He crouched down, pulling up the boys pants leg to reveal a large cut. 

Seugnmin looked away,"My owner got sick of me, this is usually what happens to us before we get sent to the shelter. I didn't want another owner, but I was scared of the one I had. He got really angry when I asked him if he could let me go, but just started hitting me, so I ran at the first chance I got."

Chan felt himself growl protectively, his anger growing at Seungmin's owner. He quickly shook his head and helped Seungmin with his wound. "You're staying with me now." It wasn't a question. Seungmin was a class three, he wouldn't be able to make it by himself or surrounded by humans. Chan can barely do it and almost everyone is scared of him. He's heard the stories about what they do to people like him and he wasn't letting Seungmin go back out there.

Seungmin was perfectly happy about that. He didn't want to go back, and his instincts wouldn't let him leave Chan anyway. He had this feeling at the back of his mind, like he was going to be a burden because he didn't have as much of the strength that Chan did. He was just happy to have a home with someone who wouldn't treat him like a pet. "Thanks," he said quietly, turning red as his stomach growled loudly. 

Chan just chuckled at that, finishing up with Seungmin's cut before going and grabbing him some food.

Just when he thought he couldn't hate humans any more he met Jeongin. 

Seungmin shook Chan awake, there was a loud banging on the door and Seungmin thought it was his owner coming to get him. Chan groggily raised an eyebrow at him. Seungmin had been living with him for 6 months, most humans would stop hunting by then. He did pull himself out of bed because the banging wouldn't stop. 

All he was going to do was bare his teeth at whatever human was disturbing him, but his expression immediately softened at the boy in front of him. He didn't look like Seungmin or Chan, that led them to believe Jeongin was a class two, not domesticated, but could be if the owner had enough resources. So his story could be anything. 

Jeongin visibly softened when he saw two people that were like him. "Help me," he said faintly, looking like he was about to cry.

The two on the other side of the door looked at each other before pulling him inside. Chan immediately checked for injuries, while Seungmin tried to calm the boy down,"What happened?"Seungmin asked, leading him to the couch to sit down.

"They keep trying to take me," Jeongin said, letting his tears fall,"They see me as a pet, but I don't want to be, I don't care if I'm a two." he said, instantly burying his head in Chan's shoulder when he offered. He continued, his voice muffled,"Usually they just try to bribe me off, but then these...men, came and tried to grab me. they almost got me into their truck, but I was able to run away in time."

Chan soothingly rubbed his back, his protective instincts starting to kick in. "You're really brave, you know that? What's your name?"

"Jeongin," He said, if it wasn't for their hearing, they might not have heard him.

"Jeongin, you should get some sleep," Seungmin said, taking him from Chan's hold. "You can room with me," he smiled kindly, guiding the younger into the room Chan had set up for him all those months ago.

He was about to go back to sleep, but another knock on the door forced him to stand up. Chan opened the door quickly, almost pulling it off the hinges. "What?"he said aggressively.

The man at the door just bowed before holding out his hand to shake awkwardly, putting it back when Chan refused to accept it. "Hi I was wondering if you-"

"Not interested, go away." Chan said, closing the door on him.

The man stooped him from closig the door, "Sir lets be civil here. One of my clients wants a more exotic-" 

Chan scoffed,"Do you hear yourself? You call me sir and ask me to be polite to someone who wants to treat me like a pet. You know I'm mostly human, so why are you trying to bribe me?"

The man Smirked before lungeing at Chan, knocking him back into the house. Chan easily shoved him back outside, far away from the house, he was stronger and faster than most humans but I guess this dealer forgot that. Chan jumped on top of him, wrapping his hands around his throat, nails digging into the flesh of the mans neck. "I'm not for sale." He growled,"And if you come back i'll draw blood." he emphasized it by tightening his grip.

The man quickly ran away, if he had a tail it'd be between his legs. 

* * *

Minho didn't have a pure hatred of Humans. He hated how they treated his kind and wanted equal rights and all that stuff, but he loved all the things they had. He had a small apartment as high up as he could get, money to buy things to make his life easier, and they had coffee, the only thing keeping Minho from running away at this point. Most humans just thought of him as a normal cat hybrid, that was until they tried to scare him. He couldn't count how many times he reflexively punched someone, something normal cats don't do. 

Minho refused to become someone's pet, he could fend for himself. He had a job at some grocery store, usually he worked in the back but sometimes he worked the register. He hated it because he saw all the class three hybrids walking around, looking at him with jealousy, maybe even some hope, before their owners dragged them away.

The few laws that Hybrids had in their favor still varied among the classes and Minho hated it. Class one and two hybrids could get jobs and live independently, without much stress or paperwork. The thought process behind that was dumb. 

_If you're not going to be domesticated, try being a functional member of society._

Oh how it pissed them off so much, they're only seen as human when people can't get what they want. They couldn't just live in peace as they were, because the animal side of them was so weak that they still had human needs, wants, and desires. Apparently, humans don't understand that, and treat them worse than actual animals. They just need a group to oppress because equal rights for all people is a concept that most don't like.

Just then a police officer waked in and Minho rolled his eyes, tail waving in annoyance. Sure, he could hide his tail and ears but things like that were his little acts of rebellion. Yes, it does absolutely nothing, but to him, it keeps him from feeling like he's trying to hide who he is. 

"Class three's cannot work in these kinds of environments without an owner present." He sighed, clearly just as tired of doing this as Minho was.

Minho just nodded and rang up the next customer,"I know."

"So, where's your owner?" He said in a 'duh' tone, waiting for Minho to hand him some papers or something.

"Have a nice day," Minho said to the customer that was leaving before answering,"I don't have an owner."

He stopped the next person in line from moving up to the register, forcing Minho to look at him,"I'm going to need to see your identification card."

Minho felt himself growing angrier, but took a deep breath to calm calm down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID, handing it over to the cop. 

He handed back the card and walked away, going into the store, finally. No apology for holding up the line and wrongfully accusing him whatsoever.

Once his shift for the day was up, he sighed in relief, grabbing his bag from the break room and heading home. He hated walking down the street the most, all the stares he would get, some of hope, some of, pity, some of jealousy, and some of disgust. His instincts said he needed to hide, have the upper hand, and be ready to attack. In reality, he was venerable, alone, and the center of attention. 

His apartment wasn't glamorous, it was large enough that it wouldn't cause his natural claustrophobia to kick in but still relatively small. Sometimes he wishes he was just a class 3, they love enclosed spaces, while Minho can't stand them. This makes life difficult for him, he doesn't like elevators, bathroom stalls, storage closets, and most cars. He has to close his eyes to keep his heart rate under control, his fist are always clenched tight to keep from kicking and screaming out of fear.

Minho let out a breath of relief as he slumped down on his couch, throwing his bag next to him. He was about to get up and get ready for bed when he heard yelling from outside.

"Here, kitty," the voice said loudly, not loud enough for humans but he was practically screaming to Minho. He quickly got up and rushed to the window. He saw a boy with orange ears and a tail slowly backing away from a man that was clearly intoxicated. He could see the boy's tail moving anxiously and knew this wouldn't end well.

"Please go away," He said weakly, a small gasp falling from his lips as his back hit the wall. He looked as though he wanted to melt into it.

The man just smirked and pulled him closer,"What's wrong Felix? Isn't this what all you hybrids are good for?" he tilted his head slightly before forcing his lips onto the other's. 

At this point Minho was halfway down the fire escape, he'd been looking for someone to punch and now he had a reason. He landed on the ground behind them, clearing his throat to get the man's attention. "Leave him alone," he said calmly. 

The man just scoffed and turned around,"And what's a little kitty like you going to do about it?" He looked Minho up and down, laughing slightly. 

Minho ran forward, throwing the man off guard, Minho winced as he heard his victim's head hit the brick wall but he quickly got over his pity. He punched the man a few times, probably giving him a black eye and a bloody nose. "If I catch you do shit like this again, I'll do much worse," He said to him. He quickly kicked the man somewhere he'd never forget and practically threw him out of the alleyway. 

Minho's eyes were still a deep blue instead of their normal grey, he was panting and the rage of what had just happened hadn't settled yet. He quickly calmed down when he saw Felix flinch away in fear. He waited a few seconds before he spoke,"I'm Minho, do you want to come inside?"

Felix frantically nodded, following Minho back up the fire escape. He was a little clumsier than Minho, climbing up but that was how it was supposed to be. Surprisingly the first thing he asked was,"Why is your bed in the living room?"

Minho smiled slightly at his curiosity before going to the kitchen. "I'm part lynx and they hate enclosed spaces. Do you want something to eat?"

Felix nodded, standing awkwardly outside the kitchen,"thank's for what you did back there," he said, messing with his hands. "that guy, wanted to take me home, since I had just gotten out of the shelter."

"Don't you have to have been there at least 5 times before you're allowed that?" Minho raised a brow curiously. 

Felix nodded,"I don't know where to go, I don't know what to do. No one hires class threes, and it's hard to get a job already! It's clear that I can't get adopted either, I'm going to be homeless," he said, starting to cry. 

Minho quickly grabbed the younger's shoulders,"listen to me, I'm not going to let you live on the street. You can stay here as long as you like, do you want that?" he asked hopefully.

Felix nodded and wiped his tears away,"you're not going to kick me out?"

"I'm not going to kick you out." Minho reassured. He was actually kind of excited to have a roommate. He was extremely lonely and refused to get close to people. He knew that if he could talk to Felix this easily then maybe his loneliness wouldn't be as extreme. 


	2. Chapter 2

Jisung looked at his friend as he was getting ready to leave, "rough day?" 

"Over seated the whole time, and half the customers had the nerve to say I was taking too long," Hyunjin threw his hands up in defeat. "Hurry up and leave, I want to go to sleep."

"I'm going," Jisung said as he walked out the door. "Bye," he waved half-heartedly as he closed the door, leaving Hyunjin to his own devices. However, when he turned around he bumped into someone. "I'm sorry," he had only meant to take a glance at his neighbor and continue walking but it ended up being a little longer than that. Jisung immediately knew he was a hybrid, the tan ears with black tips were a dead giveaway. Then he saw the apron around his torso, recognizing it as the one from the grocery store a few blocks away, he made a mental note to stop by on his way back from work. 

True to his word, Jisung did stop by at the end of his shift. He didn't intend on buying anything, but he just wanted to talk more with the guy that lived across the hall. Almost giving up hope he turned down the last aisle of the store, and there he was, restocking a shelf of pop-tarts. "Hey, you live in my building, right?" Jisung asked in fake confusion.

The guy nodded, "My name is Minho," His voice was so quiet Jisung almost couldn't hear him.

Jisung just put a grin on his face, "I'm Jisung, it's nice to meet you." He held his hand out for a handshake.

Minho just looked between Jisung and his outstretched hand, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Cautiously, he reached out and shook it, quickly going back to his job.

There was a shocked silence between the two for a few seconds before Jisung decided to speak up again. "I like your eyes," Jisung mentally slapped himself, of all the conversation starters, that's the one he chose.

"Thanks," Minho said, letting his grey eyes falling to Jisung for a second before continuing to work, "Please go away," He said quietly. 

Before Jisung could answer, the manager walked down the aisle and greeted them. "I'm sorry sir, was Minho bothering you?" She talked as if the hybrid was a problematic child.

"No, I just wanted to talk to him," He said, slowly moving away. He could tell something bad was going to happen when he walked away.

She laughed, "Okay then, have a nice day."

Jisung walked one aisle over, carefully listening in on their conversation. He flinched a little when he heard a loud smack.

"What did I tell you about having conversations with customers? It's a struggle to even have you work here, so follow my rules before I fire you and leave you to rot on the street. Am I clear?" The manager sounded angry and the threat wasn't an empty one either. "Just go home early today and maybe, I'll forget this." 

Jisung quickly walked away when he heard footsteps, practically running out of the store. He had almost made it home and he noticed that Minho had just walked into the building. Quickly running after him he tapped the guy on the shoulder to get his attention, flinching when he almost got punched. When he looked up at the hybrids face, he saw a cut across his cheeks, as well as red puffy eyes, brimming with tears. "I-I'm sorry," he said, thrown off guard by the sight in front of him.

Minho quickly wiped his tears, trying his best to seem normal, "It's okay, the only people I talk to more than that are cops," He chuckled. "I'll probably get a pay cut this week, but Felix got a job at an animal shelter, so that should help." 

"I can help!" Jisung said quickly, "Hyunjin and I usually have some money left after bills and stuff. It wouldn't be much though." 

"You don't have to do that," Minho shook his head quickly. "I can handle this." 

Jisung squinted at him, "You already get paid less than everyone else, don't you?" 

Minho looked at the ground, refusing to admit to the fact. "I said I could handle it. Please don't try to help, it was nice meeting you though." He turned his back on Jisung and made his way upstairs, the younger following soon after.

Jisung slammed the door to his apartment shut, startling Hyunjin, who was eating a bowl of cereal in the kitchen. "I'm helping him, whether he likes it or not." He boldly stated to his roommate still wearing pajamas. 

"Who are you talking about?" Hyunjin squinted, still half asleep.

Jisung placed his bag on the ground and removed his shoes, "Minho," he sighed, "the hybrid that lives across the hall. I ran into him at a grocery store. I may have gotten him in trouble too."

Hyunjin was fully awake now, that last comment pulling him out of his dazed state. He made his way over to Jisung and immediately smacked him in the back of the head. "You're a fucking idiot, at least you didn't get him fired."

"I know, but I did get his pay cut," he said quietly, "His roommate works at a shelter, neither of those jobs pays nearly enough."

Hyunjin bit his lip in thought, "I have to get to work, but I can see if their's something we can do." He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder before going to get dressed. 

* * *

The rest of the day, Hyunjin couldn't stop thinking about what Jisung said. He knew that if these were just regular people things probably wouldn't be as bad. The whole thing was eating him up inside until the last minutes of work. 

"Are you Minho?" Hyunjin asked.

The blond boy with freckles stared at him confused from the inside of the doorframe, eyeing the bag of takeout in the other's hands, "I'm Felix, but Minho lives here, so I can pass on whatever you have for him."

Hyunjin stared for a moment, something about the boy seemed oddly familiar to him. Maybe it was the orange ears and tail, or maybe it was the freckles, he just couldn't place his finger on it. Quickly shaking his head he remembered why he was there, "Actually, this is for the both of you, my roommate and I wanted to help out a bit. He feels really bad."

Felix raised an eyebrow and took the food from Hyunjin, "o...kay?" All he knew was that Minho came home with a cut on his cheek, but if you lived like them it was a normal thing. He gave Hyunjin a half-smile before politely closing the door on him. 

As Hyunjin got ready to sleep he finally realized where he knew Felix from. He didn't know whether to be happy for him or worried. 

_When Hyunjin was seven, he and his mom went to an animal shelter to pick out a dog. Hyunjin had finally convinced his parents to let him get a small one. While they were waiting to look at the dogs a woman came in with a little boy holding her hand. The woman told the boy to sit down in one of the chairs and wait. Hyunjin had never seen a hybrid before and thought that the boys orange ears and tail were cool, he almost asked his mom for some because he wanted them too. The woman rang the bell at the front desk and the worker came out and handed a small black and white dog to Hyunjin._

_The shelter worker couldn't have been more than 17 at the time, she gently crouched down to Hyunjin's level and introduced the dog. "This is Kkami, she's young so she'll have plenty of time to get to know you." She said sweetly._

_Hyunjin's smile grew as he pets the dog in his hands. He was so entranced he almost didn't see the woman handing a file folder of papers to the worker behind the desk. "You know this isn't the right facility for him," the worker had a saddened look in her eyes and Hyunjin didn't understand why. He sat down and absentmindedly played with Kkami as the two talked about something that he couldn't hear._

_The woman didn't seem to care as she signed the papers and began to walk towards the exit. She only stopped when the blond boy called out to her._

_"Where are you going?" he asked, standing up to follow her out._

_The woman sighed and crouched down, "I'm sorry Lixie, we just don't have enough time to take care of you anymore." She ran her hand through the boy's hair._

_"Wh-What?!" He said, his eyes growing red with tears._

_The woman took something from around the boy's neck and put a hand on his shoulder, "You're staying here."_

_"But I-" The boy looked like he wanted to start sobbing._

_The woman cut him off and raised a finger, "What did we say about talking back?" Her voice sounded cold and unloving towards the seven-year-old. "The nice girl behind the desk is going to take you somewhere that'll help you find a new family."_

_The boy nodded as she stood up and walked away, with no intention of coming back._

_Hyunjin watched as the strange boy started to cry, hiding his face in his hands. Hyunjin stood next to him awkwardly, wanting to make the boy not be sad, but he didn't know what to do. He held up the dog that was still in his hands, "This is my new puppy Kkami, do you want to pet her?"_

_The other boy took his face from his hands as his crying stopped. He hesitantly reached out and began to scratch the small dog behind the ears, face brightening as the dog began to wag its tail._

_"I'm Hyunjin, what's your name?" He asked, finally introducing himself._

_"I'm Felix, nice to meet you," He smiled at him._

_Hyunjin's jaw dropped when he saw him smile, mostly because he noticed a new feature. "Woah, you have freckles? That's so cool!" He said excitedly, causing Felix to turn red. Before he could say anything else his mother told him they had to leave. The boy pouted but followed. "Mom, why did that lady leave that kid at the animal shelter?" He asked curiously._

_His mother sighed, "Because to most people that kid is an animal or a pet. Don't be like them."_

Hyunjin wouldn't know what that meant until he turned ten, but he never forgot that day.

* * *

Despite Minho's request, Jisung went out of his way to try and help him. He knew something was off with Minho from the moment he rejected his offer to help. Waiting patiently in the hallway with a convenience store bag he watched the door to the stairwell anxiously. He could've just left the bag on the door with a note, but something told him he needed to talk with the hybrid directly. 

Minho opened the door to the stairwell, expecting to find an empty hallway, instead, he found Jisung and instantly froze. It almost hurt him to see such a bright person look so heartbroken because of how pathetic he looked.

Fear and confusion took over Jisung's face as he looked over Minho. His lips were red and puffy with a light, as well as dried blood sticking to it. He also noticed the start of bruising around Minho's throat. He almost believed he got assaulted, maybe even raped. However deep hickeys and hands quickly stuffing dollar bills back into a pocket told him otherwise. "Why?"

"I need money. If you look like me, doing things like this is the easiest way to get it." Minho's voice was strangled and scratchy, it hurt him to even talk. 

"I could've helped you! I can help you! I'm trying to help you, why won't you let me?" anger and offense filled Jisung's voice, but it wasn't directed at the hybrid. 

Minho has tears just waiting to fall, holding back sobs just made him want to scream in agony, he finally said something when he gained enough composure, "Because I'd rather be seen as a sex object than admit that this stupid system has finally gotten to me."

"I don't see you as a sex object. I just thought you were a good person and wanted to be friends. This is all my fault..." Guilt suddenly washed over Jisung, "I forgot that the world isn't as kind to you, that you can't do certain things without horrible consequences."

Minho couldn't help but smile at the rambling human in front of him, "It's not your fault," he chuckled. "Can you just be a shoulder to cry on right now? That's all the help I need at the moment." He quickly wiped at the tears that were flowing down his cheeks.

Jisung gave him a closed mouth smile, opening his arms for the hybrid, wrapping around his mid-section tightly. "You're going to be okay, I promise." 

Those words were what completely broke Minho, turning him into a sobbing mess. He wasn't being told this while being held down in a stuffy hotel room, locked in a cage, or even by someone who he knew as saying it out of obligation or pity. He could tell that Jisung saw him as a person, and not one that was beneath him in any way. This was from someone who genuinely cared about him and was willing to make sacrifices to make sure he could take care of himself. 

It was moments like that, and people like Jisung, that made him believe that there was still some good left in his fucked-up world.


	3. Chapter 3

“Alright, bye mom,” Woojin said, hanging up the phone. He sighed into his pillow, ”What did he do?” he groaned. 

Changbin walked into their shared dorm room and took off his headphones, almost not noticing his roommate face down in a pillow, ”What’s wrong?” He asked, sitting on his own bed.

”Seungmin ran away,” he sighed, ”I’m worried about him, who knows how far away he is at this point.” 

“Is Seungmin your dog?” Changbin questioned. Woojin never talked about his family or pets.

“Well...” Woojin scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He knew his roommate hated hybrid owners and didn’t want to be on the reviving end of that. 

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Changbin said angry, he knew what Woojin meant and had to restrain himself. “You just think of a human being as- as a _pet!_ ”

”What? No!” Woojin said quickly, sitting up. “He’s been a part of my family since I was 7 he’s basically my brother! People just don’t think I should see him that way.”

”But you still own him,” Changbin crossed his arms. 

“He was better off with us then out on the street! He hasn’t even turned 20 yet!” Woojin was getting a little upset. 

“You still didn’t have to own him, you don’t know if he sees you as family. What makes you think he was better off if he ran away? Something is clearly wrong!” Changbin yelled back.

”Why do you even care so much, it’s not like this system affects you!” Woojin shouted, not knowing that he took it too far. 

Changbin stood up.“This system has hurt me way more than it’s hurt you.” With that he slammed the door shut, needing to get away for a while. 

Woojin felt himself cool down and realized what he’d said. He looked over at Changbin’s desk and saw a picture of him and his mother. What Woojin usually failed to notice all the other times were the two cat ears that stuck out of her jet black hair. “Shit!” He muttered, following after his friend. 

Changbin hadn’t gone far, as much as he hated Woojin’s choices and morals, he knew that the older was a good person and that he cared for the hybrid. His guess was right as he took a deep breath and was about to walk back into the building, only to be met with Woojin. “You finally figured it out,” he said. 

“You want to talk about it?” Woojin wanted to give Changbin a chance to talk about a side of him he knew he had to hide. 

Changbin nodded and walked back inside. He sat down, now calm and explained why he was so against hybrid ownership. “My mom is a cat hybrid.” He admitted, ”meaning she’s a class three. My dad was her owner, but my dad is also an alcoholic. When my mom found out she ran away. She was able to stay far away from my dad and raise me.”

He took a deep breath, this was something he’d never told anyone, and even then it was hard to talk about. “I was around twelve and when I came home from school all I saw was my mother clawing at the door frame as the catcher dragged her into their car. I couldn’t do anything about it.” The thought of that day still haunted Changbin, he’d never seen his mother so upset. The red in her face as she screamed to be let go was something he could never forget. That’s when Changbin learned about all the laws that his mother had broken to protect him. 

The cops had asked if he knew his father and when he said no they threatened foster care. He looked at Woojin when he realized he had stop talking. “Do you know how hard it is to look at your own mother sitting in a cage while the cops try to decide what to do with her.” He took a deep breath, ”I had to buy my own mother Woojin! All because she had a few extra limbs. I had to sleep at my mom’s desk because she couldn’t get a job that paid enough for rent without me.”

“Do you still own her?” Woojin asked terrified, he knew that hybrids had it bad but he forgot they had families that they created themselves, ones they weren’t adopted into.

Changbin shook his head,”You can be 12 and own a hybrid, but you need to be 18 to grant freedom. What kind of bullshit is that!? That was the first thing I did when I turned 18.”

”So you’re saying I should let Seungmin go?” Woojin raised his eyebrows.

Changbin shrugged, ”that’s entirely up to you, but if he cares about you as much as you care about him, he won’t just cut you out of your life.”

Woojin nodded, ”I’m sorry about saying what I did before.”

”It’s okay, most people only know the horror stories about hybrids. That, or they see them as strictly animals and forget that only a small portion of their genes gives them a tail and ears. I just want it to change. I shouldn’t be terrified to have a biological child because there’s a chance they could be born into this stupid system.” Changbin sighed.

”Can you help me get the papers in order?” Woojin asked, smiling a little.

Changbin’s eyes lit up, ”Yeah, but let me warn you, it’s going to take a long time.”

True to word it did take a while, 6 months to be exact. It took him another 3 to figure out what direction Seugmin ran in because his father refused to tell him and find enough space to drive there. So the second Changbin got out of class he picked him up and they drove towards his home. 

“How do you even know where he went?” Changbin said, while they were on the road. 

“I have an idea of where he would’ve gone, we hadn’t been there in ages, but if he was as scared as I think he is, that’s where he would’ve gone.” Woojin kept his eyes on the road. He remembered all the times kids would laugh at him because he didn’t keep Seungmin on a leash or asked if he could join him at school and all of the other things he did.

One day some kids grabbed Seungmin when Woojin wasn’t looking, he chased them down and ran as fast as he could once he grabbed a hold of the hybrid. They ended up at a small house in the woods. So every time his parents fought or they just needed to be alone, that was where they went. As years went on, they didn’t have time to go there, especially after his parents divorced.

He stopped on the side of an empty road, much to Changbin’s confusion, ”We have a lot of walking to do,” he said, grabbing a flashlight and opening his car door.

* * *

Chan sighed as he heard a knock on the door at around midnight. He was expecting to find another catcher, or someone to bribe him again. Instead he was met with two guys around his age, one he wasn’t sure was human. 

“Can I help you?”

The taller of the two shifted slightly, ”we’re looking for Seungmin.”

Chan had a look of shock on his face, it had been nine months and Seungmin’s owner was still looking for him? He shook his head quickly before closing the door on the two of them. 

Woojin and Changbin looked at each other before the younger knocked on the door again. 

Chan opened the door more aggressively this time, ”I just told you he wasn’t here.” He tried slamming the door, but another hand was pushing in the opposite direction.

”I’m Changbin, this is Woojin. I promise we’re not catchers or the cops, we just want to give Seungmin some things,” He kept his voice calm, knowing that the hybrid was considering becoming aggressive. 

Chan noticed two cardboard boxes behind the two and relaxed a little. “Seungmin!” He yelled towards the bedroom, refusing to let the two into his home.

Woojin shifted away slightly as the Hybrid kept his eyes on him. He’d never really interacted with class one’s before, and especially not ones that were angry and defensive. 

Seungmin yawned as he walked out of the room he shared with Jeongin. “Hyung, it’s one in the morning can’t this wai-“ he froze at the sight of Woojin, but he didn’t know if it was out of fear. 

Woojin couldn’t help but let out a relived sigh, at least Seungmin was okay. He held up a beige folder, ”This is for you.” 

Seungmin looked between the folder and Woojin. As if in slow motion he walked towards his owner and grabbed the folder. He flipped though the papers in it his head tilting in confusion. It was all of his official documents but there was one extra paper in the back. As he read the words, tears filled his eyes. He quickly looked up at Woojin, his eyes questioning. 

Woojin nodded, a small smile on his face. The next thing he knew Seungmin was in his arms, holding him tight.

”Thank you,” Seungmin could feel his tears falling on Woojin’s shirt but he didn’t care at that point. 

“Hyung, what’s going on?” Jeongin was standing just outside the bedroom door, looking between the two strangers. 

Woojin and Seungmin separated, the younger wiping his tears. “I’m free,” he smiled slightly. 

“We came as soon as I got the paper, it was a long shot, who knows how far you could’ve gone in nine months.” He chuckled. 

“Hyung, that’s a four hour drive,” Seungmin said shocked, ”and you’re like 5 miles from the nearest road.” 

“I know,” he sighed, ”I brought your clothes from home too.” Woojin said. 

Seugmin looked over and saw the boxes, he brought them inside, gesturing for the two humans to follow. 

Woojin looked around the house, it was on the small side. There was a kitchen to his left, a small circular table taking up most of the space. There was a door on the next wall, he’s assuming to a bedroom. There were two other door to his far right, one being a bathroom and the other, another bedroom. In between him and the two doors was the living room. “I think some of the thanks should go to Changbin too, he helped me realize what I needed to do.” He nodded to his roommate. 

“Thank you,” Seungmin bowed, ”you guys can stay here and go back in the morning.”

Changbin shook his head, ”this idiot,” he placed his hand on Woojin’s shoulder. “Decided to take 7 am classes, so we should get going.” 

“Oh,” Sungmin’s ears fell, ”you can come back, right?”

“If you want,” Woojin smiled.

”Why wouldn’t I? You’re like a brother to me. Even if you don’t own me anymore doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.” He hugged him again. 

“I’m glad you see me the same way,” he scratched Seungmin’s head, watching as his tail wagged.

During this entire interaction Jeongin was staring at Changbin, he seemed so familiar to him but he couldn’t think of it. “Were you the one who got me out of that cage?”

Changbin looked at the other in shock, ”small world I guess,” he chuckled. 

“Yeah, I didn’t get to say thanks. I’d probably be someone’s pet and who know what would’ve happened,” He said to him. 

_Jeongin had been captured and put in a shelter when he was ten. Late at night he saw a boy walk in, who began talking to the woman in the cage next to him. “Hey,” he rattled the bars of his cage, ”get me out of here._

_The boy looked at him with pity before picking the lock and letting Jeongin out. He wanted to thank him but a worker spotted him and began chasing after him. He ran out the door out the shelter and hid in an alley until they left. He’s been on his own ever since._

“It was nothing, I know how hard it is to be independent.” He shrugged. 

“You guys really shouldn’t be going out there alone,” Chan said, “are you sure you just don’t want to skip class and go out in the morning?” 

Woojin was about to say that they could handle it but suddenly the dark circles in his and Changbin’s eyes seemed to stand out. “Alright,” he sighed. 

It took about 20 minutes but Woojin and Seungmin were in the second bedroom while Jeongin and Chan slept in his bedroom. Changbin got the couch. 

Seungmin was about to turn off the light and go back to sleep, but Woojin spoke up. 

“Were you happy with me? Did you feel like a pet?” He asked, looking at the ceiling. 

Seungmin stopped just short of the light switch, ”No,” he went to sit down next to Woojin. ”Whenever it was the two of us, I forgot actually. You made me feel like I was a person.”

Woojin nodded in understanding, ”but everyone else did.”

“Yeah,” Seungmin sighed,” I could hear people talking about how weird it was to see me doing certain things, wondering if I was allowed to. That’s why I got so upset when you left for college.” 

“I really wanted to leave you with mom, but there wasn’t enough space. What did he do to you?” Woojin finally asked.

”He started drinking, a lot.” Seungmin admitted, ”like we had more alcohol than food. He kept mumbling things like, ’my life is falling apart and I’m stuck with some freak.’ After a while he started getting violent, a bottle or two thrown at my head or yanking at my tail sometimes. Then one day, he just snapped. I couldn’t take it anymore so I asked if he would let me go.” Seugmin paused for a second, hating to relive the memory. 

“He grabbed me by the tail and dragged me towards him. Next thing I knew, I was being choked into submission as he kept belittling and beating me. He called me a waste of time space and energy. He even said I turned you into an anti-social freak.” He looked at Woojin, ”some part of me believed it.”

Woojin held Seungmin by the shoulders and talked to him seriously, “listen to me, don’t ever believe anything he’s ever said about you. You’re an amazing person and anyone who doesn’t realize that is stupid.” 

“Do you remember when we were little kids and you would call me your brother,” Sengmin played with his hands. “Would you still call me that if I wanted you too?”

”I’ve been holding back.” A smile grew across his face as he hugged his brother, something he could finally say without worrying what anyone else thought about it.

”let’s go to sleep now, this has been a long day,” Seungmin said, standing up to flip the light switch. 

The two went to sleep that night, not knowing what was coming when they woke up.


	4. Chapter 4

_The first time Felix was abandoned he was heartbroken. That family had told him he would be with them for a long time, but they only kept him for a year._

_The poor worker from the shelter had to personally drive Felix over thirty miles to get him to the nearest Hybrid facility._

_He took a deep breath when the car pulled in, he had no clue how long it would be until he was sold again._

_When Felix looked over at the Girl, he expected her to be gathering his papers to send him off. What he found instead, was her hands tightly gripping the steering wheel, “Goddamnit,” she yelled, putting the car in reverse._

_When Felix walked into the small apartment, he was met with another girl, most likely her roommate. “You don’t have enough money to raise a hybrid.”_

_”He’s just a child Mina!” Felix flinched slightly and she put her hand on him in apology._

_“Jihyo,” Mina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We don’t have any room for him.”_

_“We’ll make some,” Jihyo’s words were final as she guided the young hybrid to the couch._

_As soon as Felix sat down a small white cat curled up into his lap. The two relaxing as Felix gently pet it._

_“Mochi likes him,” Jihyo grinned at the two as she went to get Felix some water._

_“Do you think you’re ready to be a parent?” Mina whispered to her._

_“Hell no, but we can’t just send him back. His last owner wouldn’t even let him speak.” Jihyo glanced worriedly at the boy who had now fallen asleep on the couch._

_Mina finally submitted,” fine, good thing we had that money saved up.”_

_The two acted as Felix’s mother’s, cheering him on when he achieved personal things. They even helped him learn to read, sure he got basic education at the facility but his owners never continued it. They celebrated every one of his birthdays and every time someone threatened him on the street he had someone to hide behind and defend him._

_He couldn't have asked for better owners but, when he was eleven everything changed._

_Felix had heard them whispering, "We can't just free him, he's eleven," Jihyo said with a trembling voice._

_"We have to take him back," Mina watched as her friend cried into her shoulder. She held it together for all of 10 seconds before she was letting tears run down her face._

_Mina and Jihyo just couldn't take care of him anymore. All of their funds were drained, and with the both of them about to go off to college they couldn't give Felix everything he needed. Mina had to drive him to the shelter because Jihyo couldn't handle it._

_They had all cried just outside the shelter, Felix hugged them both for as long as he could, never wanting to forget them._

_That time, he watched the people who had cared about him, people he had grown to love, people who had taught him things he couldn't have dreamed of, walk away. They were just...gone. His heart didn't break, it completely shattered. He begged the staff to let him call them, or even send letters, but he was never allowed._

As time passed he slipped into a depression, he refused to talk, eat, or listen to orders. All he wanted to do was sit in the cell they gave him and rot. That didn't stop him from getting adopted three more times. He couldn't even bring himself to feel Joy when he was told he was free. It was just a reminder that no one wanted him, that he was never good enough. 

He ended up at a bar since hybrids are pushed to the side so much, there isn't a legal drinking age. His body isn't meant to digest high amounts of alcohol but, he was put out on the street, no one would give a fuck. That's how he ended up giving his name to a stranger and almost getting raped when he said he didn't want to go home with him. The man wasn't even interested in Felix, he just wanted to experiment with him.

Some part of Felix didn't want to resist, wanted to just let the man take him home and have his way. For once he was wanted, even if it was a one-time thing, he could be useful to someone. 

Felix thought another day at the animal shelter wouldn't be emotionally taxing but when he walked in and saw an all-too-familiar white cat he froze. He rationalized that it could be anyone's cat until it jumped from its post and ran to greet Felix. "Mochi seems to like you," his coworker chuckled.

"M-Mochi?" Felix stuttered out. As if in slow motion he looked down and saw the all too familiar tag around his neck. "Did you call the owners?" His body was still frozen in place.

"Yeah," She said nonchalantly, "They should be here in a few hours."

Felix took deep breaths, trying to ignore the fact that he might be face to face with the two people who practically raised him.

"Felix, can you take Mochi out to his owner, I'm busy." The owner shouted. 

He nodded and kept his head down, walking through the shelter, bracing himself for the wave of emotions that would hit him.

"Mochi!" Mina cooed, scooping the cat into her arms. "Thank you, He-" She paused for a second, noticing the faded freckles on Felix's face. "F-Felix?" The was a small bit of hope in her voice as she tried to get a better look.

The hybrid looked up and smiled nervously, ”Hi, Mina.” Tears were brimming in his eyes, but he didn’t let them fall just yet.

Mina didn’t say anything, she just pulled Felix into a tight hug, Felix could feel a wet spot on his shirt, but he didn’t care. “Look at you,” she said, pulling away. “You’re free,” she smiled slightly. 

Felix nodded, ”I wanted to talk to you guys but they wouldn’t let me.”

”We didn’t want to let you go, Felix,” Mina sighed.

”I know, and I’m not mad. Now I know how hard it is to pay rent,” he chuckled a little. He did resent them in the beginning, but three other owners showed him that they sent him away because that was what was best for him. 

Mina laughed for a second before her eyes widened, "Wait here," she quickly walked out the door. 

About a minute later, Felix flinched as the door swung open and he felt someone almost knock him over. One quick look down and he immediately knew who it was, "Hey, Jihyo," he pulled her into a tight hug. 

She held on a little longer than Mina did, "Hey, Felix," she mumbled into his shoulder. When she finally pulled back she started to ramble almost. "You grew up so well!" she cooed, sounding almost like an aunt. "I was so scared about sending you back, who knows how this could've ended up. We tried to get you back when we finally got the money, but you were already gone. I know you probably hate us or don't want to see us again, but I'm really happy I got to see you."

It took Felix a moment to process all of the quickly spoken words he shook his head, "I could never hate you guys, I'm really happy to see you too. Can I ask you something?"

The two nodded, a little worried at his tone.

Felix took a deep breath, "Why did you keep me for so long? I was obviously a burden to you guys."

The two girls looked at each other before Jihyo spoke up, "We wanted you to have a good childhood. When I was taking you back, something snapped inside me when I realized that you probably wouldn't get to experience much joy." She chuckled slightly, "the reason we kept you so long was that we loved you. You were way too sweet and kind for us to give you up so easily."

"And Felix," Mina added, "don't ever think of yourself as a burden, unwanted, or any other emotion that's been going through your head for the last 8 years. You haven't done anything wrong, ever."

Felix smiled and pulled them into a hug. "I missed you guys so much." He quickly pulled away as he was being called back to work. "I have to go, you should come back soon though." He waved them off and quickly ran to the back, not wanting to anger the owner.

By the time he got back to the front, Mina and Jihyo were long gone. There was a slip of paper that had a number hastily scribbled onto it.

_Well always be here for you. You should call us for more than money tho. (p.s. I like the hair.)_

Felix smiled at the note and gently placed the paper in his pocket. Unconsciously running his fingers through his blonde hair.

* * *

_Minho’s hand hovered over the record button of his webcam. It was just a few videos, right? Only a few minutes of exposing himself and he would be able to pay rent. With a reluctant sigh, the sound of a clicking mouse filled the silence there._

_He knew the easy way out was to just hand over full control and let someone random person take responsibility for his actions, but he was one of very few that had this freedom, and he was going to keep as much of it as possible, even if it meant doing horrible things to himself._

_A couple of weeks later he was back in front of his webcam. He wiped the stray tears from his eyes as he hit record again. This time, needing to make a lot more than a few bucks._

_Soon, it wasn’t enough. This had turned to his only source of income in the past few months. “It’s only a few people, once you get another job, you won’t have to do this.” He told himself as he stood outside the shady club, waiting._

_In no way was Minho good with seduction. Just showing his ears would be enough most of the time._

_The motel room he took them to got stuffy very quickly as he let the person he could no longer remember have their way with him. He fought the tears in his eyes as he was being pinched, pulled, slapped, and caressed. All he wanted was for it to be over._

_He looked down at the money in his hands, staring at it as the reality of what had just happened sunk in. He slowly fell to the ground as he clutched only a fraction of the funds he needed. He felt it becoming harder to breathe as tears continued to fall down his face. The burning in his lungs making sobs sound like he was being strangled._

Minho woke up with a start as he looked down at his shaking hands. He groaned and ran a hand down his face when he reads what he recalled. 

He took a deep breath, ”you’re not that person anymore. You have Felix, Hyunjin, and Jisung now.” He said to himself.

”You have people that are helping your pathetic self pay rent when you know you can do it on your own. Stop wasting their money.” He muttered quietly, knowing he lost the battle in his mind. 

Slowly getting out of bed he threw on some clothes and made his way to the door. He paused for a second when he looked at the apartment across from his. He quickly shook his head and walked out of the building. 

Minho hated to admit when the stranger put their lips together, Minho felt the calmest he’d ever felt in weeks. He was too used to this. To letting himself be told he’s worthless, that this was all he was good for. Being seen as anything other than less than was almost uncomfortable.

Shame still flooded him as he collected the money, but it was a familiar shame. A shame he had learned to deal with. Not the shame of knowing that you’re a burden, and taking away from people who need to focus on something more important than a genetically deformed slut like him. 

“Jisung, can you please move?” Minho said to the younger, currently blocking his front door.

”No.” He stood his ground, ”I’m not letting you do this to yourself.”

Minho felt himself grow angry his eyes beginning to turn blue, ”Jisung, move,” he said through gritted teeth.

“You’re so much more than this,” Jisung almost sounded hurt. 

Those words caused Minho to lose control, his eyes turned bright blue, almost glowing in the low light of the hallway. “No, I’m not!” He raised his fist and went to punch the other. Only to create a dent in the door instead. When he saw pure fear in Jisung’s eyes he quickly calmed down, his eyes returning to their normal color. “This is all I know,” he said quietly, head hanging low. 

Jisung took the Hybrid by the hand and pulled him into his own apartment. “It doesn’t have to be.” He said, looking into Minho’s eyes for some hope. 

“Why do you insist on helping me?” He said, trying to get to the door only to be pulled back in. 

“Because I don’t like seeing someone suffer in silence, you’re not alone anymore,” Jisung said firmly. 

Minho shook his head,” I deserve all of this, you don’t know about all the things I’ve done.”

Jisung pressed his lips together before grabbing Minho’s hand assuringly, ”You’re just trying to survive in a world that doesn’t want you to exist. You’re brave, smart, and deserve to have the same chances in life as everyone else. I need you to understand that.”

Of course, Minho understood that. The whole concept of it was just hard for him to accept. This stubborn college student was breaking his neck to help him, of all people. “You’re wasting your time and money.” No matter how hard he tried, this didn’t feel right to him. 

“Then let me,” was all Jisung said.

Minho stood there in shock, he hadn’t expected that answer from the younger. Just as he was about to say something, a new wave of surprise hit him as Jisung smashed their lips together in a sloppy kiss. 

Jisung wiped his lip when he pulled away from Minho, ”If this is what it takes for you to accept my kindness, then I’ll do it.”

Minho put his hand on Jisung’s chest as he leaned in again, “Neither of us wants this,” he whispered. 

“Then let me help. I don’t want you to go back out there, ” Jisung said again.

Minho sighed, ”Ji-“ he started, only to be cut off.

”You’re not going to put yourself down again!” He snapped,” I don’t care if you had to sell yourself to pay rent, all I care about is how you see yourself! You’re this, beautiful, amazing person who will put others before yourself. You’re not a whore, or a freak, or whatever else anyone has called you! You don’t have to do this alone anymore.” He had begun pacing back and forth as his frustration bubbled.

Minho’s eyes wandered all around the apartment, trying to truly take in Jisung’s words. “You really do care about me?” He tilted his head, eyes squinting. 

“That’s what I’ve been saying for months now,” Jisung threw his hands up in defeat. 

“Okay,” Minho finally said.

Jisung raised a brow, ”Okay, what?”

“I’ll let you help me. What should I do first?” He said, smiling a little as Jisung’s eyes brightened. 

“I think you should talk to Felix,” He said quietly, not knowing If Minho would be comfortable with that. 

The hybrid took a deep breath and nodded, ”he doesn’t get home for another few hours. Can I hang out with you in the meantime?”

Jisung nodded as he dragged the older to the couch. When they got situated, he began to lightly pet the hybrid, stopping when he realized Minho might be uncomfortable. 

“You can pet me if you want,” Minho, shifted closer to Jisung. 

The two ended up falling asleep on the couch, waking up to the sight of a smiling Hyunjin. It took them a second to notice the phone in his hand but the second they did, Jisung was chasing him around the apartment. Minho was still on the couch laughing his head off.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to get used to this. 


	5. Chapter 5

"What's it like?"

Minho blinked rapidly, his eyes wide open with shock. "Are you serious?" He still couldn't believe that was the first thing Felix said after he revealed his dark secret. 

The younger just nodded, "I get it, you needed the money, but what was it like."

"Horrible," Minho sighed. "People treat you as disposable, you get sore half the time, and you always do more than you said you would."

Felix just shrugged, "Doesn't sound much different from how I feel now."

"What?" Minho looked over at him confused.

"We're not that different," he chuckled, "So what you had to do something you regret to stay alive. I don't see you any differently."

Minho raised his brow in confusion, "You don't?"

Felix shook his head, "Can we talk about something else?"

Minho let out a breath of relief, he assumed Felix wanted to talk about something that wouldn't put him in the spotlight. "Sure, what is it?"

"I found your razor blades," As the words left his mouth a sharp silence fell over the room. As Minho slowly sun further back into the couch, Felix noticed just how broken he was, exhaustion filled his eyes as he tried to cover the faint white lines that went from his wrists to the inside of his t-shirt. He also began to see the faded hickeys on the edge of the other's collar, along with other various bruises.

"I know it's pathetic, but it helps me stop all these thoughts from filling my head," Minho wanted to curl into a ball and never come out, he couldn't face Felix. The sex was one thing, his depression was a completely different secret, one he didn't want to reveal.

Felix sat down next to him, attempting to comfort him, "It's not pathetic."

"But I am. I should've just let myself become a pet. I wouldn't have to worry about where my next meal will come from. I wouldn't have to let up to five different people violate me every night. I would be a little bit more than some suicidal whore." His words came out calm, even if tears were streaming down his face. "I keep going back, no matter how much I try not to. Just accept that I'm not worth anything."

"Minho, listen to me," He made the hybrid face him, trying not to cry himself, "You're still here, aren't you? That's not pathetic, it's brave. You have been through so much just to keep the one thing I've been longing for since I was 12. You're free, we're free, and you don't have to do this alone."

Minho just scoffed, "Death is the only true freedom for people like us. If you live, something owns you."

"Do you still want to kill yourself?" Felix mentally slapped himself for letting fear into his voice.

The lynx looked over at him with a sad smile, "You know, if I hadn't met you, I'd probably be dead by now."

Felix felt his heart stop, "W-what? Why?"

"Because I'm depressed and consider myself worthless. Try to keep up." Minho chuckled, but the small smile on his face quickly disappeared. "I've never been needed before, so I guess that's what stops me. You needed me to help you find a job and give you a place to stay." He stopped for a second and thought about his neighbor across the hall, "I remember how upset Jisung was when I told him about my other job. He looked so betrayed when he found me going back, after everything he told me. I don't want to know what he would look like if he found me bleeding out in the bathroom."

Felix didn't say anything, he just took the older into a hug, trying not to gasp for air as he felt arms tightly contracting around his waist. 

Minho could feel his leftover tears leaving a mark on Felix's shirt but, he didn't care. Two of his worst secrets were out, every reaction he had built up in his head burned away with every reaction. 

He finally decided that maybe keeping everything bottled up wasn't the best coping mechanism.

* * *

Hyunjin leaned over the counter, counting down the minutes until he could go home. He wanted to escape the hell that was disguised as a restaurant and just sleep. His hopes were dashed in an instant when a group of cops burst through the door. 

Everyone in the restaurant jumped, some frozen in fear, others pulling out their phones to record the spectacle. Hyunjin just watched as one of his coworkers was being shoved to the ground.

He didn't know much about her, she was a cat hybrid that had been granted freedom. Usually, she worked in the back, fearing that one day something like this would happen.

"What is going on here?" The owner yelled, clearly out of breath from running down the flight of stairs from her office. 

The cat hybrid had tears streaming down her face as she begged to be let go. Hyunjin wanted to shove the officer away and take her far away from her, but he knew that wouldn't work.

The officer just put handcuffs on the girl, despite her protests, "Due to the recent attacks from a hybrid extremist group, any hybrid without an owner will be taken in for questioning."

Hyunjin's mouth was wide open, "You'll let her go if she doesn't know anything, right?" He didn't know why he blurted it out but, he couldn't stand to see the girl like this.

"We'll let her go when we find that group, regardless of what she knows." He said, taking the girl away.

"That's fucking bullshit!" Hyunjin yelled, causing the officer to stop, "Do you know many hybrids are just trying to live their lives, if they don't know anything, let them get back to it. Besides, how are you going to deal with all the different instincts at once?"

"Son, this is your only warning, if you question me one more time, you will join her." The officer's voice sounded cold and unforgiving. This probably wasn't the first time this situation has happened today.

Hyunjin quickly shut up as he watched the girl that tried so hard to be free get taken away.

As soon as they were out of sight a wave of panic washed over him. He quickly clocked out and practically sprinted home. the streets looked calm but there was the looming feeling of Chaos. Hyunjin could see the panicked look in both hybrid and human eyes. 

e burst into his apartment to find a startled Minho being comforted by Jisung. "What if they got Felix?" he muttered.

Just as those words were spoken, Felix burst through the doorway, slamming it behind him. He looked around and saw everyone he cared about and instantly relaxed. "Thank god you're safe," he breathed. 

"What do you mean I'm safe? You could be arrested." Hyunjin said, looking for the remote to turn on the news.

"Every hybrid knows that the group we're dealing with is much worse than any police," Felix said, eyeing Minho, only to see his eyes widen in realization.

Jisung swallowed as the tv clicked on, the first scenes of destruction sending a cold silence throughout the room. 


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

Chan, Jeongin, Woojin, Changbin, and Seungmin crowded around the Tv in shock. The bright lines of the news frame did little to distract from the image in front of them. The hybrid shelter, not too far away from them, had been reduced to rubble. Standing amid the smoke was a female silhouette. As the cameraman shakily zoomed in on the figure they could make out an all-white mask with a scar painted down the middle of one eye.

Her long and bright pink hair stood out against the darkness surrounding her. A collective shiver ran down their spines as she revealed her ears and tail. Just as police were about to catch her she yelled only one sentence. "The revolution has begun!" With that, she was gone, disappearing before anyone could process what just happened.

"I-Is that?" Seungmin said, worried. He'd heard the stories from Chan and Jeongin but, this is much more terrifying than expected. 

Chan just nodded and looked over at the two humans, "Give me your car keys."

"What? Why would I give you my-" Woojin was cut off by the sound of Changbin throwing the keys at the hybrid.

"Hyung, trust me when I say that anything we do from now on is life or death," There was a fear in Changbin's eyes that Woojin had never seen before. Knowing how fearless his friend usually was he just nodded in understanding.

"I don't want it so far away from us." He looked at the two younger hybrids and sighed,” Seungmin, Jeongin, do you think you can protect the two?”

They nodded in unison, watching as the second oldest looked out the window before walking out the door and locking it behind him. 

“Hide,” Jeongin said, shoving them towards the bedroom. 

Seungmin and Woojin were hidden in the closet, while Changbin and Jeongin his behind the dresser. 

“Can someone please tell me what-“ Woojin tried to ask but was cut off by a hand over his mouth. He was about to say something but the sound of footsteps got louder and louder. 

There was a brief moment of silence before the sound of a window shattering caused them all to jump. 

Changbin looked over at Jeongin who looked like his instincts were kicking in, and he wasn’t sure whether it was fight or flight. Just as he was thinking the bedroom door opened and everyone held their breath. 

“I can’t believe this guy is housing humans,” he spat, footsteps echoing through the room. 

Jeongin seemed to lose control because the second he passed them the large dresser came crashing down on the intruder. “Run!” He screamed, grabbing Changbin’s hand. 

Woojin and Seungmin came running out of the room, following close behind the others. When the got outside they all froze, there were at least three hybrids to their front. 

Woojin flinched back, he’d never seen anything like them, their nails had morphed into claws, their ears and tails flared to make themselves look intimidating. The ones that barred teeth revealed their extremely sharp teeth. “Class ones,” he mumbled, recognizing just how much danger they were in. 

Changbin watched as they scanned the four of them, seeming to pause for a second when they got to Changbin.

“You’re not going to make it out of here alive. Neither is that half breed.” The front Hybrid said. 

Seungmin and Jeongin reflexively hid Woojin and Changbin behind them. The motion was symbolic though, while the younger two had more height the elders had larger frames. 

The three hybrids chuckled before charging at them. 

Seugmin let out a cry of pain as a set of claws grazed his side as he tried to push Woojin out of the way. 

The oldest quickly helped the younger to his feet, trying to put distance between themselves and the hybrids. Woojin had never seen Seungmin this way, his eyes had turned completely black, not the warm brown he was used to. His nails hadn’t completely turned, but they were close. He quickly put his hand on his brother’s side feeling a warmth he recognized all too well.

Before Changbin could think, Jeongin had pulled him away from the hybrid that was about to attack. The younger almost had super-speed as his eyes turned bright blue. He had claws, but they weren’t nearly as sharp as a class ones. They quickly found the other two and shuttered at the red spot forming on the side of his shirt. 

“Seungmin, oh my god,” Jeongin practically screamed.

Woojin looked between the four of them and finally realized the danger they were in. “Jeongin, get Sungmin far away from here, me and Changbin will catch up. If you find Chan there's a first aid kit in the car.” He quickly handed his brother over, despite his groggy protests. 

Jeongin reluctantly nodded and placed Seungmin on his back, quickly running away.

As soon as the two were out of sight Woojin looked over at his friend. “We might die,” he said.

”I know,” Changbin nodded, beginning to run as the sound of footsteps grew closer. 

The two ran for who knows how long,” where the hell is Chan?” Woojin grunted as his legs almost gave out. He heard a yell of pain behind him as he saw Changbin pinned under a canine. 

Before he could blink a black and grey blur came out of nowhere, knocking the hybrid off of the human.

When the two had grasped what happened they realized that Chan had been the one that saved them. “Get to the car!” He yelled as he got shoved off of the other hybrid.

Woojin grabbed Changbin and quickly dragged him towards his car. He had never been more thankful for getting a truck. 

Changbin ran around to the passengers' side, practically jumping into the car.

Woojin let out a breath of relief that the key was already in the car as well as Seungmin and Jeongin. He tensed again when he saw Chan start to get surrounded. He quickly honked the horn and put the car in drive, driving towards the road. 

Chan scratched two of the three hybrids attacking him and used the small moment to escape. He ran as fast as he could, going to catch up with Woojin. He let out a breath of relief as he jumped and ended up in the truck bed. Lying on his back when the car picked up speed when it hit the pavement of the road. 

* * *

Woojin stopped at an old gas station not far from Chan’s but he needed to process what happened. He turned off the engine and let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “You guys want something to eat?” He asked. Looking at Seungmin and Changbin changing their bandages.

Everyone in the car nodded, he assumed Chan would agree. When he came back out with a small feast they all gathered in the bed of the truck. “Where do we go from here?” Changbin asked, taking a bite out of a hotdog.

Jeongin opened a bag of chips and began eating,” I know of an old classmate but, he lives in the city. The cops would be all over us, that’s not including the organization we just fought.” 

“Yeah, speaking of that, does this organization have a name?” Woojin asked feelings like an outsider in all of this.

”Apex,” the said in unison as if to just get the name out there.

”I can keep the cops off of us, plus I know all the back roads around there. Where does he live?”

”9th, if he hasn’t moved.” Jeongin responded. 

Woojin watched as the hybrids seemed to calm down, their eyes going back to their original colors, along with the retracting of teeth and claws. He was pulled out of his thoughts when Chan started talking. 

“If no one answers the door we could just break-in,” he said nonchalantly.

No one seems against the idea, it’s not like they had other options. “Okay but like what is the deal with these apex people?” Woojin asked, watching as all the attention focused on him. 

Chan took a deep breath and explained.

* * *

”They’re made up of mostly class ones and twos but they recruit any hybrid they can. The organization is known for its bloodlust, specifically for humans. Which is why most class threes don’t join, their genealogy almost stops them. They like to preach about freedom from human oppressors. That we should rise and rule the world taking back what is rightfully ours. Honestly, it’s annoyingly terrifying,” Felix explained, rolling his eyes a little at the last part.

“How do you know about them?” Jisung asked, fear taking over his body.

“They’re everywhere, when I was in the shelters I was approached by at least two members almost daily,” Felix shrugged,” I’m sure Minho has a similar story.”

”oh yeah,” he chimed in,” they could’ve had this revolution years ago if they didn’t promote ruling through fear. Most hybrids just want to be equal, not better. I don’t want to murder humans, even if they are annoying at times.” Minho said.

”So they’re like Mormons but evil?” Hyunjin said a little confused. 

Felix laughed,” their approach is very Mormon like, their ideals are more like Natzi’s so put them together and you have apex.”

”Are we in danger?” Jisung said, terrified. 

The room suddenly grew cold as Minho spoke,” I’m going to be honest if what we saw was real. None of us are safe”

In the silence that filled the room, the loud knocking on the door might as well have been a gunshot. The two hybrids hid out of sight as Hyunjin opened the door. “Yes, officer?” He asked, tightly clutching the doorknob.

”We were told that hybrids live in this building. Do you know what apartment?” He asked, trying to look through the apartment. 

Hyunjin quickly glanced at the two hybrids just behind the door. “Uh....they are probably still at work, I don’t see them, and it’s usually downstairs so I don’t know what number. Good luck with your search.”

The officer nodded and walked away, his eyes saying he didn’t fully believe them. Hyunjin waited until he heard the footsteps fade before relaxing, still staring at the closed door. 

Minho and Felix finally straightened up and let out a breath of relief as well. Jisung was practically shaking. “Oh my god, we’re going to die,” his voice was trembling. 

Hyunjin recognized what was happening and went to comfort his friend,” we’re not going to die, we’ll get through this.” He said soothingly, trying to prevent the oncoming panic attack.

”If we don’t, they will. We can’t get out of town because once we escape the cops we’ll run into apex. There’s no way out,” he said, curling into a ball. “I don’t want to die, I don’t want any of us to die.” 

Minho crouched down next to the other,” Jisung, listen to me, I’m not going to let you die. Things will be a little less crazy in a few weeks until then we just have to stay inside as much as we can. He ran his fingers through the younger’s hair, still not good at calming people. 

It seemed to work as Jisung’s tears began to slow. Within a few minutes, he had fully calmed down. 

Felix cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him,” we should sleep while we can, at least to get our schedules lined up.”

They all nodded in agreement, sprawling out on the couch, beds, and a sleeping mat, attempting to get rid of the day’s experiences.

Hyunjin was the one that woke up to the sound of knocking. He tiredly flung himself out of bed and opened the door. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t five people at his door, one of them about to kick it in. 

”Jeongin?” He said, fully awake now.

”Hi Hyung,” he waved awkwardly, flashing a smile that lacked the braces Hyunjin rememberers. “Can you help us?” 

“You’re so lucky we’re the only ones on this floor,” he answered in shock, gesturing for them to enter his apartment. As they passed him he realized just how beat up they looked. 

Things had just gotten a lot more complicated. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, a double update?!?!? I'm on a roll today.


	7. Chapter 7

"I think we should have two humans per apartment," Chan instructed the nine of them as they crowded around Jisung and Hyunjin's small table. "That way, if a member of Apex shows up, a hybrid can answer, if it's the cops a human can answer.

"So, who goes where?" Woojin asked.

"I'd say, Hyunjin, Jisung, Felix, Chan, and Jeongin over here." Minho announced, "Woojin, Changbin, Seungmin and Me could stay at my place." 

Everyone nodded in agreement. "What are we going to do about work or food?" Jisung asked suddenly 

"Those of us that are human can go to work, if you must leave, make sure your ears and tail are hidden. Make sure your body language doesn't give you away either." Chan said carefully, waiting for any signs of objections.

Hyunjin suddenly chimed in "What about apex?"

"Don't worry," Chan and Changbin said in unison, causing everyone to look between the two.

Changbin glanced at chan, "why don't we have to worry?"

The older sighed, "Just... if you ever find yourself with claws digging into your throat, tell them you know me." He glanced back at Changbin, what were you going to say?"

"That I can see what information is being pulled from all of those hybrids that are being held captive," he said quietly.

"You're a cop?!" Jeongin and Felix said in unison. "Why the hell didn't you say anything?"

"I'm just a hacker, a couple of volunteer shifts, cleaning jobs at the central station, and some hidden computer chips later, I had access to everything." He shrugged leaning back into the couch.

Seungmin looked around at everyone, "So, we just wait it out? What happens after that?"

"Let's hope we're alive to find out," Woojin swallowed nervously. "We should probably go to sleep."

* * *

"You find anything new?" Minho asked, looking over Changbin's shoulder and staring blankly at the screen. 

Changbin groaned and leaned back into the couch, covering his eyes to get away from the light, "No, they've hit a dead end."

For the past two weeks, the nine of them went from strangers to friends, and now they were a family. It was based on mutual survival, but the two groups slowly grew to like each other.

Minho pressed his lips together in annoyance, "They've raided almost every building in the city and we're still nothing close to safe."

"If you haven't noticed cops are fucking dumb," Changbin said, looking at the hybrid by hanging his head on the backside of the sofa. 

Minho seemed to gravitate towards Changbin. He'd gone from being all alone to having eight others constantly surrounding him in the span of a few months, other than Jisung, he felt the most comfortable around Changbin. He didn't feel the need to protect him or run away, he just felt like a friend. 

"How's your mom doing?" He asked, sitting down next to the younger. 

Changbin knew that he couldn't hide his scent from 5 hybrids for long, but he seemed to only trust Minho, Felix, and Woojin to voice his fears. "She's safe," he sighed.

"I can't imagine how this makes you feel," Minho could sense Changbin's frustration from the first floor.

"I just," Changbin felt all his fears start to get to him as a shiver moved through his body, "Because of a few privileged hybrids, so many more children will have to go through what I did. Those few moments still haunt me to this day, I don't want anyone else to experience it." He leaned his head on Minho's shoulder as he tried to keep down his emotions. 

Minho put his hand on Changbin's thigh, "It's okay, we're going to find a way out of this."

“Wait,” Changbin sat up quickly, “I think I know why we aren’t getting anything else.”

Minho looked at Changbin confused as he quickly opened his laptop and started typing. He decided to let the younger search while he went to the other apartment.

Chan was biting his nails anxiously, Woojin and Seungmin had gone out a few hours ago and they still weren’t back. He flinched a little when Minho caught his attention. “Did you find anything?” 

“Maybe,” Minho said, gesturing to follow him.

“Where’s Woojin,” Changbin’s voice was kind of panicked as he stared at his computer screen.

”He went out with Seungmin, why?” Chan had a horrible feeling, and the unease in the room seemed to become suffocating.

”Well, a group of hybrids that were brought in gave some suspicious and useless information to the officers. I think they escaped. Class ones with the same tattoo of 3 scratches on the neck. He looked at Chan worried, ”I hope it’s another gang of hybrids”

Chan quickly shook his head, ”I’m going to get them,” He said turning on his heel and getting ready to run out of the apartment. Just as he opened the door his worst fears were realized.

Seungmin flinched back slightly as the door swung open, he watched relief, fear, and panic flood Chan’s face in less than five seconds. “I tried to stop them,” he said quietly, holding his arm tightly. 

Chan slowly led Seungmin inside and helped him sit down on the couch. Minho was already getting the first aid kit from the kitchen and slowly removed Seungmin’s hand from his arm. 

“Holy shit,” he muttered to himself as he saw the deep claw marks along Seungmin’s flesh. He quickly cleaned and wrapped the wound, only to notice some red around his ankle. 

“Seungmin, what exactly happened,” Changbin asked calmly, even though he had a shaking grip on his computer.

The others had walked into the room when the scent of blood hit their noses. Each one of them looking at Seungmin with a different expression. 

“Well...” he began, watching as everyone grew closer, intending to hear everything.

_The two brothers had been walking home from the store, Seungmin got the idea to surprise everyone with extra dessert. Woojin, who strongly advised against it, went with him reluctantly._

_They were a few blocks away from the store when a hybrid bumped into Seungmin, he had his ears hidden at the time, so he was slightly nervous._

_The hybrid quickly turned around and pushed Seungmin to the ground, leaping over his shocked body to get to Woojin._

_Woojin managed to doge the charging hybrid at first and run over to Seungmin. “Are you alright?” He held out his hand._

_Seungmin quickly slapped it away,” I’m fine, run!” He shouted, standing up._

_Woojin almost wanted to resist, but he knew Seungmin was more likely to make it out alive. He didn’t get far though, suddenly he felt the wind being knocked out of him, he hit the ground with a loud bang, causing him to groan and grab his head._

_“Stop!” Seungmin shouted, trying to remove himself from the other hybrid’s hold. All of his moving caused the claws to dig further into his skin._

_Woojin felt himself being lifted against a wall, cold hands wrapping around his throat. He let out a noise of surprise when he saw the red in the hybrid's eyes as his grip tightened. He suddenly felt less air going into his body and sharp pain around his neck._

_”Stop! Please,” Seugmin had tears in his eyes. He managed to kick the hybrid hard enough to free himself. Just as he was getting to Woojin he felt Claws digging into his ankle, causing him to fall to the ground._

_Woojin gripped at the hand holding him, trying to pry it off, ”I’m a friend of Chan’s”_

_The hybrid paused for a moment, ”Bang?” He asked._

_Woojin nodded as he felt air returning to his lungs. The hybrid didn’t put him down though._

_Everyone's eyes snapped to the sudden female voice that came out of nowhere. “Well, well, well, I guess Chris finally came out of hiding.” The smirk was evident in her voice._

_Seungmin stared in shock as the same girl that was standing among the rubble of a hybrid shelter, was standing right in front of them. Her sliver tail moves slowly from side to side as she walked over to Seungmin and crouched down._

_“It’s okay, the mean human isn’t going to trick you anymore,” She ran her hand through his hair and past his ears. “Do you both know Chris?” She asked, her voice too sweet for everything she’s done._

_Seungmin reluctantly nodded. Hanging his head as it was released. “Please just let him go.”_

_”What?” She scoffed, ”and let him run around freely in the streets? I don’t think so. He’s coming with me.”_

_Woojin and Seungmin’s eyes widened in shock, ”What?!” they said, in unison._

_The woman just laughed, ”You guys must spend a lot of time together. Don’t worry, it’s better this way. I’m not going to say it was nice to meet you but it was, interesting.” She then turned around and with a snap of he fingers, Seungmin heard Woojin scream before going silent. He had his face pressed into the pavement, so he couldn’t see what was happening, and suddenly everything went dark._

_When he got up everyone was gone, including Woojin, and his arm was still bleeding slightly as he forced himself to his feet._

* * *

The room had gone silent as Seungmin retold the story, all eyes in the room going to Chan. 

“ I should have listened to him and stayed inside but-“ he paused, a new emotion filling his eyes, ”You knew this would happen, ”Seungmin’s voice was filled with anger, “You knew her!” He shouted.

Chan couldn’t look anyone in the eye, ”I knew this would be better than being dead.”

”You could’ve have told us!” He yelled, his voice hoarse. “I can’t believe I trusted you. My brother is gone because of you!” 

“Seungmin, I’m so sorry,” he still couldn’t look at him. 

The other hybrid didn’t answer, only going to stand up, cause the other seven in the room to jump up in case he fell. “Don’t apologize to me until you can prove it,” he muttered, limping towards the room he used to share with Woojin and slamming the door. 

“So you know the name, age, and possible address of one of these members and you didn’t tell us,” Changbin said, his anger growing as well.

”She’s my ex,” Chan blurted out, eyes scrunched closed. “She’s obsessive, has a blood lust for humans, and it took me years to escape her. I wanted nothing to do with her when I realized that. You have to believe me when I say that I didn't know anything about all of this until I saw her on the Tv. ” 

As his eyes opened he saw Changbin looking at him with some sympathy, but not much. “We’ll see how I feel in the morning.”

“I think we should probably calm down before we figure out what to do, maybe get sleep too.” Felix suggested, “nothing good ever happens when we’re shaken up like this.”

Chan looked like he wanted to say something but closed his mouth and nodded, not wanting to make things worse. "Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Woojin woke up with a start, immediately feeling a throbbing pain in his head. As his vision was cleared he got a better look at his surroundings. Something felt off, the room wouldn't stop spinning and he could barely recognize anything. When he tried to hold his hands out, he realized they were tied to a chair, chains rattling as he tried to get free.

"Your friends will come to get you soon enough." The voice sounded female, the sound of boots stepping on concrete getting closer with each passing second.

Woojin was so out of it he didn't notice the clawed hand that pulled his face to the left. "Who are you?" he asked, his speech slightly slurred. "What's wrong with me?"

The woman just laughed, "Relax, the drug should wear off in a few hours."

"You drugged me!?" He shouted though it sounded like he had a few drinks too many. He started shifting more to get the chains off of him. That was a big mistake, not only was he still trapped, he felt as if someone had hit him over the head with a hammer. 

The woman just laughed, "Humans are so entertaining when they're helpless and confused." She turned her head when the door behind Woojin opened, allowing him to see the pink hair she had pulled back, along with the base of grey ears with black spots. 

"What are you going to do to me?" He swallowed hard, knowing exactly who he was dealing with. 

The hybrid stood back revealing a grey leopard's tail behind her. "I'm going to keep you alive until your friends get here. Don't worry, you won't see them suffer because you'll be the first to go."

Woojin sat in shock, his entire body deflating in hopelessness as she began to walk out of his sight. "What happens now?" He asked, following her with his head. 

Just as that question was asked Woojin felt a sharp prick in his shoulder. "I'm going to drug you again, you're a little too functional for my liking."

A cold liquid got injected into Woojin's veins, sending shivers up his spine as he was about to talk. He heard two sets of footsteps getting further and further away. The sound of a door slamming was the last thing he heard before he lost consciousness again. 

* * *

Chan got up and around 3 am quietly stepping over Felix who had been sleeping on the floor below him. He quietly grabbed his copy of the keys and a hoodie before heading towards the front door. Just as he was about to turn the knob he heard the sound of footsteps to his right.

"Where are you going?" Hyunjin whispered, stopping Chan dead in his tracks.

Chan took his hand off of the knob and sighed in defeat, "I'm going to get Woojin."

"I'm coming with you then," Hyunjin began to put on his shoes and jacket.

"No you're not," Chan said, putting his hand up to stop him, "You'll get killed before you even find him."

Hyunjin just kept moving, "I don't care."

"What do you mean you don't care? Are you okay?" He asked, slightly concerned.

"Of course I'm not okay!" Hyunjin snapped. "I'm tired of just watching bad things happen, I want to stop them! I watch Jeongin get bullied at school, I watched Jisung befriend and help Minho in ways I possibly couldn't understand. Changbin had to do so much to keep his mother around. Woojin corrected his wrongs and is helping you guys out more than I ever could. I watched one of my coworkers get tackled by police and all I could do was ask why! I'm tired of doing nothing, I want to do something that will help you, Seuingmin, Jeongin, Minho, Felix, and every other hybrid who has to deal with this fucked up world." 

By this point, everyone in the apartment had woken up and stared at Chan with groggy and confused looks. The oldest just sighed in defeat and threw his hands at his side, "How are the eight of us even going to fit in the truck?"

"So what you're telling me is, you want to break Woojin out at...4:45 in the morning," Minho said, pinching the bridge of his nose as 5 of his friends made him believe they were getting raided.

"We can sleep when Hyung is safe," Seungmin said, rushing to get his things. 

Changbin held his hand out ad stopped the Hybrid, "We should at least have some form of a plan, Chan, do you know anything about apex?" 

"Well if it's being led by my ex, we're all going to die if we get caught. Anyone that doesn't agree with her is immediately on her list of 'people I would kill if I had the chance'. I honestly have no clue where they might be because I did not want to stick around to be put on that list. Or arrested." He was being honest, he intentionally put distance between the two of them for a reason.

There was a long silence, everyone thinking of what to do. That was until a loud slap rang out as Hyunjin face palmed himself. "Phones!" He shouted, causing everyone to look at him confused. 

"Listen, Seungmin, did you see Woojin's phone in your room?" When the hybrid shook his head Hyunjin continued, "That means Changbin can track it, even if they disabled it after they drove off, we would still know what direction they went."

Changbin, already catching onto Hyunjin's plan was already typing away on his computer, a hopeful gleam in his eye grew the longer he worked. "Found it! well, it's last known location." 

"Then let's go," Seungmin was practically trying to push the group out the door only to be stopped by Chan.

"She may be crazy, but she's not stupid. The only reason his phone would be on him for that long is that she wants us to find him." 

Everyone looked at each other, the reality of what they were getting themselves into weighing on them. 

"I have an Idea," Felix said quietly. "We know this girl is obsessed with Chan right? So if he shows up alone she might be distracted enough for us to find another way inside."

No one said anything and just snuck out to the truck. hiding behind hoodies and long pant's so you couldn't tell whether or not they were hybrids.

* * *

Chan took a deep breath as he knocked on the back door of a boarded-up office building on the outskirts of town. Before he could say anything a hand reached out and pulled him into the darkness of the building, causing him to almost fall as he stumbled inside.

"Nice to see you Chris," She said playfully, her eyes the only thing visible at the other end of the hallway.

Chan felt himself being forced to his knees as someone held his hands behind his back. "Where's Woojin, Miyeon?" He said through gritted teeth as she came closer.

Miyeon, just laughed, "You're not going to say Hi? It's the least you could do after you betrayed me."

"We were 17!" Chan shouted, even if there was another person in the room. "You came to me preaching about Hybrid salvation with your eyes so dilated that they weren't even blue! I tried to help you but you wouldn't listen."

"I don't need your help! We're so close to our goal and we're not going to let a group of special cases stop us!" The lights had turned on, revealing her bright pink hair spreading out widely from her head as she let herself turn into something Chan had never seen before.

"Look at you," Chan said, completely horrified, "Do you see what this rage is doing to you? You want this to be the way we view the world, our instincts running wild and uncontrollable blood lust? We wouldn't be any better than a human at that point."

"Shut up!" Her voice boomed, sounding almost demonic. "You left me as soon as I found what we both wanted. I was given the chance to be free, and I'm offering the same to you."

Chan shook his head, "This isn't freedom, it's anarchy and I want nothing to do with it, or you." He couldn't bring himself to be truly mad at her, she was just as hurt and scared as him. His instincts said otherwise and he had trouble keeping his overwhelming sense of danger at bay.

"Fine," Miyeon said in defeat. "You'll get to see your friend very soon, in the afterlife." 

She ran forward so quickly Chan barely had time to react. He ducked as low as he could right as she was about to drive her nails into his face. There was a quiet squelching sound and Chan felt something warm drip down his back. 

The hybrid that had been holding him back had black claws digging into his stomach as blood dripped out of his wound. Chan saw life slowly fade from his eyes as he began to fall to the ground.

Miyeon seemed unphased as she pulled her bloodied hands from her first victim of the night and lashed out at Chan, nothin in her eyes showing she had any restraint left. Chan quickly dodged in the narrow space and began to run inside the actual building, praying that Woojin had already been found.

* * *

"There," Mihno pointed, stopping the group of Hybrids in their tracks. "Felix and I can climb up that tree, break open that door to the fire escape, I can stand watch while Felix lowers the ladder."

They heard the door on the other side of the building open and Chan's noise of surprise. "I don't think you have much time," Jeongin said, worriedly glancing behind them.

Luckily Minho's plan worked, but when they opened the door to the main space they were met with a lion's den, literally. 

Hundreds of hybrids were sleeping on the floor, divided by abandoned cubicles. Normally in sleep, a hybrid doesn't have the claws or fangs they would when they were awake. However, every hybrid seemed to have so much rage it followed them into sleep. "We need to find him, now," Seungmin's voice shook as his eyes adjusted to the dim room.

There was a chill that filled the room as they walked past the glass windows of offices that surrounded the perimeter. Some held medical tables, some held another group of hybrids, it wasn't until they were about to head to the next floor that they noticed an office completely stripped of carpet, leaving nothing but a concrete floor. The glint of sliver that caught their eyes sent a wave of hope through them. "Oh my god," Minho said, immediately noticing the familiar silhouette. 

Seungmin's eyes grew wide as he approached the door, slowly twisting the doorknob and having to fight the urge to throw it open when it was unlocked. "Woojin," He whispered happily as he approached his brother. His small smile quickly faded when he was unresponsive. 

Felix noticed Seungmin's reaction and crouched in front of Woojin, as well. He muttered a quick apology before lifting one of his eyelids to check the oldest's eyes the best he could. "He's not dead, just heavily drugged."

"How do you know that?" Minho asked, worry in his voice for what Felix's answer might've been.

Felix just shrugged and went to try and get the chains off of Woojin. "They stuck me with all kinds of roommates, I know drugged-out eyes anywhere. He's close to overdosing but we would've seen severe symptoms by now." He let go of the chains in frustration.

"Move over," Jeongin said, taking a look at the chains. His hands seemed to move on their own as he worked out the complex knots and within a few seconds, the chains were quietly rattling on the ground. 

Minho watched this and realized that they had all gone through unimaginable horrors, but now they had to use their separate traumas to get out of this one. "Let's get him out of here," He whispered as they pulled Woojin out of his chair, he made a small groan at the movement which was a good sign for them.

They knew they shouldn't be celebrating yet, but the sight of the door they had entered from, wide open, along with the sight of every hybrid in the room still asleep caused hope to fill them. That was until a manic scream filled the room from the floor below them. Almost every hybrid woke up instantly, eyes flashing to the four hybrids trying to run off with a human. 

"Jeongin," Minho said, breath picking up in the brief moment where everything was at a standstill.

"Yeah?" The youngest asked, glancing from the other side of a groggy Woojin who was beginning to wake up.

"Take Woojin and run."

The door to the main stairwell burst open and all hell broke loose.


	9. Chapter 9

"We should go in there," Hyunjin said, beginning to open the car door. 

Changbin grabbed his arm and put him back in his seat, "We already don't know what's going on with those five we don't need a sixth person at risk too."

Hyunjin reluctantly sat back down, crossing his arms as he stared out the window of the passenger's side.

In the driver's side, Changbin was trying his best to stay calm. Woojin was one of the only friends he had, and the four hybrids that went in there to rescue him were a part of that group too. "I don't want to be left alone again," he muttered to himself, hoping the sound of the A/C running would drown out his words. 

"We're not going to let that happen, Hyung," Jisung placed a hand on his shoulder.

A few minutes later there was a loud thunk and the three humans burst out of the car, Hyunjin holding a baseball bat in case it was a threat.

Instead, what they saw was Jeongin hunched over, gasping for breath as Woojin lost balance and collapsed in Jisung's arms. When the hybrid stood up they saw the intense blue in his eyes, something that only came out when they knew he was defensive and scared. "They- they drugged him. They're not hybrid's their animals, you should've seen it, they were all huddled together, sleeping like a wolf pack. I- I think there's something wrong with them." he huffed.

They all swallowed nervously before Changbin picked up Woojin and placed him in the back seat, checking his pulse and breathing. "I have no clue what it could be, but I know it's starting to wear off. I'll stay here. You guys go help them."

"But-" Jisung started.

Changbin held up his hand, "Look, what's the point in all of this if all of us don't make it out alive?"

"Nine or none," Hyunjin said quietly.

"What?" 

"It's this thing Felix came up with. Almost all of us don't have anyone else to count on, so it's the nine of us or it's none of us." Jisung explained, smiling a little.

"Nine or none," Changbin said to himself, "Now, go, who knows what's happening over there!"

The last three people that he knew were safe began to run towards the danger. He bit his lip as Woojin's eyes tried to open.

* * *

"Run!" Minho shouted, running toward the stairwell he hated the wild feeling that was taking over him, it felt like he was losing sense of himself and reality. It was like he'd lost his consciousness. It most likely came from the fact that he was booking it up a flight of stairs while trying to protect the weaker hybrids from the army approaching them. 

"Get outside!" Felix shouted as they approached the top floor. He was feeling the same thing as Minho, but since he wasn't that wild in nature he could control it a little better.

Before they knew it they were on the roof of the building, staring at the edge of the roof, panting at running up ten flights of stairs."We need to jump!" Seungmin shouted, causing the other two to look at him.

They looked at the closest tree to them, even if it shortened the jump to 20 feet, instead of 100, it was still terrifying. Minho felt something run up behind him and immediately punched it. The hybrid that tried to attack him did not take that well and charged at him again. "Do it! Felix, you first!" He shouted, trying to push the hybrid into the four others that came out as well.

Felix nodded and ran towards the edge of the roof taking a deep breath as he jumped and grabbed onto the first large branch he could. He groaned as the feeling of having his fall cushioned by a few layers of branches set in. Quickly, he stood up and steadied himself on a branch, staring up at the roof. 

Seungmin looked between the edge of the roof and Minho, hesitant to go, "I- I can't," he muttered, watching as Minho weakened for a second, getting shoved to the side. He quickly dodged the hybrid that swung at him as he got closer and closer to the edge.

Minho managed to get the hybrid away from Seungmin, "If you even want a chance to see Woojin again, or just live, fucking jump!" His voice was strained with effort as he punched a hybrid in the jaw, distracting them enough to force them back to the doorway.

With those words, Seungmin took a leap of faith and jumped. When he felt himself fall through the branches he couldn't get a grip, no matter where he grabbed. Just when he was about to accept his fate he felt a hand grab him and he suddenly stopped. 

"Hurry up!" Felix yelled as he struggled to hold on. 

Seungmin broke out of his shock and grabbed onto the branch, both of them waiting for Minho.

Seeing Seugmin go over the edge allowed Minho to use all his focus to push the building group of hybrids further down the narrow stairwell before he made a run for it. Unfortunately, right as he jumped one of the hybrids tripped him and he went tumbling over the edge. He reached his hand out and it snagged on one of the fire escapes 50 feet below. He took a deep breath as the rusted metal began digging into his skin and let go. letting out a heavy breath of relief when he landed on the balcony 2 more floors down. From there he just used the escape to get on the ground.

Felix and Seungmin quickly ran up and hugged him, expressing their fear as they watched him fall over the edge. 

"There!" A hybrid yelled, charging for the group of three as more came flooding out. The three tried to run for as long as the could but one by one they slowly got taken down, their faces pressed into the dirt they'd just been running through.

A loud growling came from above them, they felt themselves being moved to their knees, hands held behind their back. Miyeon jumped down from her position and walked up to Seungmin, holding his chin in her hands. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you." 

"What did you do to Chan!?" He yelled, trying not to let fear creep into his voice.

Miyeon raised her brow, "Chan? Oh, you mean Chris, he's right behind you."

A cloud of dirt came up as Chan fell over next to Felix, his eyes glued shut as he clutched his side, red beginning to stain his shirt and spots of his jeans.

Horror fell across their faces as the saw the second oldest's condition. A loud cracking sound could be heard in the distance, causing the small circle of hybrids that had formed to flinch.

Four hybrids appeared over the top of the hill, three of them trying hard to hold Hyunjin, Jisung, and Jeongin.

"Hyung!" Jeongin yelled, blindly running into the center of the crowd the second he saw Chan crumpled on the ground. "What did you do?" He asked Miyeon.

"Oh look, everyone's here," she said excitedly, "Now you can see what happens to those that choose to defy us!"

There was a roar of at least 50 voices from behind the seven of them. Her claws seemed to grow sharper at their cheers as she slowly made her way over to Minho, She ran a hand along the side of his face before she left a single scratch on his cheek that stung like hell and would definitely scar. They all closed their eyes and waited for Minho's almost inevitable death at the hands of this crazy hybrid.

A loud bang rang out throughout the woods, Minho felt something warm splash on his face and took the opportunity to overpower the hybrid that was holding him in place. He looked over at where the sound originated from and saw Woojin swaying slightly as he held a smoking hunting rifle. He turned his head and saw Miyeon clutching her arm tightly as she bit back screams. There was another shot fired, but no other hits were made. Instead, they threw the other hybrids off balance and freed themselves from their hold.

"Don't stop running until you're in the truck!" Minho screamed as he dodged the first set of claws to break out of shock.

The seven of them split off in different directions, running as their lives depended on it. Changbin had been circling a few feet behind Woojin and quickly brought him back to the passengers' seat when he collapsed from overexertion. The others had noticed the pattern in Changbin's driving and decided to just run outwards in whatever direction they were facing. One by one there they each ran into the open truck bed and filled in the front compartment. There was a small pause as they carefully loaded Chan inside, but it wasn't much. Jisung had been the last person they collected.

With the nine of them altogether, they held a collective breath as the truck picked up speed and left the last of those hybrids in the dust. 

* * *

Except for Chan and Woojin, everyone collapsed in a pile, relief flooding through them as they were finally safe. 

The larger of the two apartments was buzzing with the younger members ranting about their experience, while the smaller one hosed the older members who were patching themselves up. Well, Minho was stitching up Chan while Changbin was making sure that Woojin didn't need to go to the hospital, his best guess was that they used morphine or some other anesthetic.

"Okay, where the hell did you get a gun from?" Minho asked, sitting on the couch next to Woojin.

"He jumped out of the car and grabbed it from the ground," Changbin scoffed, "We're lucky that thing even worked." 

Woojin chuckled sightly while nodding his head, "But what happens now?"

A chilling silence filled the room as they looked at each other, "I don't know," Chan muttered.

"We should all get some sleep, it's 7:30 in the morning," Minho yawned.

The second they opened the door Seungmin bust in and practically tackled Woojin, "I'm so sorry Hyung! I should have listened to you the first time. This is all my fault," His voice had become more and more broken as he rambled, the tears brimming in his eyes. 

Woojin just held him tight, "It's okay, none of this is your fault. I'm just glad you got me out of there before I got another shot," he chuckled.

While the looming threat of the world around them seemed to make constant anxiety run through their minds, the relief they felt as the nine of them were together again made all of those worries still. If just for a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not replying to comments I appreciate them so much but I'm bad at replies :( this was the most fun I've ever had writing a story and I might do something like it again. Don't stop checking up on this story yet! there will be an epilogue coming very soon.


	10. epilogue

"What's this?" Jisung said, snatching up the stack of papers Hyunjin was reading intensely.

He quickly took the pares back and glared at his friend, "It's my speech for the interview tomorrow."

"Aren't you sick of writing, I'm pretty sure every politician in Korea groans when they see your mailing address." Jisung laughed, going to get a drink.

For the past seven months Hyunjin stuck to his goal of doing something about the world around him, it took a lot of writing, yelling, bail money, and patience but he had started something. "Jisung, this is the biggest thing we've done, they're listening now. I need to make sure it's perfect."

Jisung scoffed, "That's what you said an hour ago, and an hour before that, and an hour before that......"

"Alright," Hyunjin said annoyed, "I get it, I should relax a little."

"The movie's about to start, you should watch." Jisung dragged his friend out of their empty apartment and into the packed one across the hall. "I got him!" he shouted as they walked through the door.

"Hyung, you need to take a break," Jeongin said, patting the spot next to him.

Before everything went to hell, Hyunjin wouldn't have seen himself as someone who overworks this much, but now he'd been getting less and less sleep the bigger his impact got. By the end of the movie, he was completely asleep, lightly snoring on Jeongin's shoulder. 

* * *

Jeongin stared down at the five letters in his hand with a confused expression on his face.

"You okay?" Changbin asked from the doorway of the mail area. 

Jeongin quickly shook his head. "Yeah, I'm just...confused."

Changbin took the letters from him, his own head tilting in confusion as well, "That is weird, do you think it's good or bad?"

"I feel like Hyunjin might know," Jeongin closed the mailbox and headed back upstairs.

It was quite the sight to see five hybrids, crowded around a coffee table, staring at a pile of letters that were addressed to them as if it were some unstable element. In their eyes it was. After everything they've been through, it could just be another threat to their small amount of freedom. 

"Do you want to open them together?" Chan glanced to the other four with his eyes.

The humans in the room were observing the whole thing from the couch, anxiously waiting for the reveal as well.

Five plastic cards fell on the table, each with a photo of one of the hybrids. 

Chan was the first one to move, picking up the card with his face on it. "It's an ID. I didn't order a new one, it's back at my place."

Minho was the next person to examine the card, it looked almost empty to him, and that's when he noticed all of the missing information. "holy shit," he muttered in awe.

"What?" Jisung sat up slightly, interested in the discovery.

Minho held up the card to his face, "this is a normal _human_ ID!"

Seungmin, Felix, and Jeongin quickly grabbed their cards and searched them front to back.

"Hair color, eye color, height, weight, name, birthday," Jeongin read through all the information on them, "no class." He read quietly.

"What does that mean?" Woojin asked hope filling his voice. 

Felix scrambled to read the letter in the envelope. When he removed his face from the document he was met with expectant eyes. "We're free," a smile grew across his face, "We're all free."

"Oh my god," Jeongin said ecstatic, running up to hug Felix.

Everyone had different reactions to the news. Changbin grabbed one of the letters and read it over and over again. Chan sat down in shock as he tried to process what happened. Woojin grabbed Seugmin and held him until he couldn't breathe. Hyunjin and Jisung comforted Minho as he started sobbing.

"I was so scared," he muttered into his hands. Out of everyone in the group, he kept the most emotions down. "We were running low on money and with the cops being so ruthless I thought we were going to be separated again. I thought I was going to have to-" he cut himself off as he choked on his sobs. 

Changbin's hands were shaking as he read the letter for the fifth time, all he could think about at that moment was his mother. She could finally get a better job, she didn't have to flinch and hide every time she heard police sirens. As if on cue, Changbin's phone started to ring, "Hi mom," his voice shook as he answered.

"We can go outside!" Jeongin cheered loudly, running to put his shoes on. They had only been outside the building a handful of times in the past month and everyone was starting to get a little antsy.

At those words, everyone rushed to the door. Minho and Felix took the fire escape to avoid the wave of six teenagers storming out of a building.

"Oh my god," Minho groaned as he landed on the ground, "actual sunlight," he stepped into the 10 am sun that was beating down on the sidewalk.

Just then the sound of half a dozen sighs of relief came from the front of the building and the two feline hybrids went to join their friends.

"I'll buy breakfast," Hyunjin suggested with no arguments. "No offense hyungs, but I'm tired of eggs and rice." he chuckled.

Chan just shook his head, "None taken, I was about to have a breakdown if I had one more scrambled egg."

Woojin watched as the group of nine made their way down the sidewalk, heads held high and not afraid to hide. For the first time, he didn't see fear hidden in the backs of their eyes as the pretended to be happy.

Looking at all of them being themselves made Woojin realize just how long they'd been living in fear. 

But this was only the beginning, and while everyone realized that, why not celebrate the victory they had?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to show what happens after they got Woojin back and rewrote this like 15 times, but it's done! 
> 
> If you have any suggestions or requests for what I should write next, don't hesitate to ask! I'm lonely and get bored easily, I'll most likely do it.


End file.
